RIP Eddie Van Halen....

[caperrob]

My first cassette was Van Halen and I remember where I was when I listened to every album for the very first time.

RIP EVH

Gone way too soon.

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by Tyeetime

EVH was a big part of the soundtrack of my teens. I didn't even try to play like him, didn't know where to start.
But more than his shredding, I always thought he played fantastic rhythm guitar. His right hand was up there with the best. RIP

Well said Tyeetime. He is most often thought of for his lead work but his rhythm chops were equally killer. Some of the most memorable riffs in hard rock were under Eddie's fingertips. Where do we start?!

Fun fact; Eddie started on drums and Alex on guitar. They realized that they both kinds sucked in those roles and decided to switch. As they say, the rest is history.

[justonwo]

I remember getting 1984 on cassette and wearing it out. One of the most innovative and virtuosic guitar players of all time. And he did it with a grin. I will miss him greatly. Ironically, I was listening to Van Halen II (Bottoms Up) when I got the news. Seems fitting. He lived like he played - fast!

[1neeto]

Super sad. A true innovator of not just guitar, but a whole music genre. Hard rock and heavy metal would not be the same if it wasn’t for him.

[OhioSixString]

RIP Eddie, The first few Van Halen records were a big part of my youth...

[imwjl]

My friend Joel Hodgson (Mystery Science Theater 3000) posted this about Eddie Van Halen.

"I first met Eddie Van Halen when I was consulting on Jon Stewarts' show and he was a guest. I was introduced to him and I said " Hi Eddie, I dig your work". He smiled and shook his finger at me saying, "Thanks man, but, It's not work, it's PLAY!. Lesson learned."

[Roksbug]

This was a huge bummer hearing about Eddie's passing today. Van Halen and Eddie in particular were a big part of my teens, 20's and beyond.. I had such great times jamming their songs and going to VH concerts.
RIP Eddie.....and thank you for some great memories!

[Tele1111]

In May or June of 1978, I was hanging around in “The Guitar” Jim Nudd’s guitar store. I had my very first custom guitar built by Jim. A beautiful custom Tele with a Koa body, birdseye maple neck, and all the electronics knowledge that Jim possessed. It was a great instrument.
I still own that guitar.

Van Halen had been on the radio for a couple of months, and even the circle of musicians in our realm, were duly impressed and excited about this guy.
Jim and I were talking, and I’m pretty sure Lee was at the bench messing around with his Tele, that Jim was doing something to.

We talked a little bit about Eddie, and Jim wandered off to accomplish something else. That was Jim. He always has things he wants to do.
As he walked to the back of the shop, I realized something.

We, as musicians, always seemed to know about the “latest and greatest” people in music, well before the general public. We were aware of Eddie, probably a year before that album was released. Maybe six months. Whatever. I finally understood the reason for this. We all, as musicians, were always listening to new music. Always talking about it. Always trying in varying degrees of success, to replicate it. Always sharing it within our circle. And then we found something else we liked. And repeat.

Fairly obvious now, but at the time, it was enlightening.

Eddies passing today bought that memory back in full view.
We all liked Eddie, and the promise he displayed. There’s no message I can send that would reach him. But he was important for music. He was important to me. Then and now.

Mark

[AX17609]

Originally Posted by Tyeetime

EVH was a big part of the soundtrack of my teens. I didn't even try to play like him, didn't know where to start.
But more than his shredding, I always thought he played fantastic rhythm guitar. His right hand was up there with the best. RIP

Totally agree. I always thought his rhythm playing was largely overlooked and under-appreciated.

[MakingMusic]

He was a true innovator who helped set the direction of hard rock.

[rmp]

Originally Posted by brencat

10 year battle with throat cancer comes to a sad end. How many times did we see him in concert playing with a cigarette stuck between the strings on the headstock? 65 is too young.

I read some where,,, he used copper picks, and would put them in his mouth when finger picking. If I recall what the gist of that was, the cancer started on that spot on his tongue.


RIP Eddie. You moved the bar to places we never knew a bar could go..

[rmp]

Originally Posted by ctgagnon

“I used metal picks ― they’re brass and copper ― which I always held in my mouth, in the exact place where I got the tongue cancer,” he said.

wups,, just saw this,,, Sorry for the redundant post

[Marley]

Gone at 65. Cancer sucks!

I own and play 2 EB Music Man Axis guitars because of Eddie. I think they are the greatest guitars on earth and I believe Eddie did as well. He designed it with Ernie Ball and wanted to take the design with him when he left EB. When he found out he could not do that, he and Peavy tried super hard to make a guitar as similar to the MM as they could. When he left Peavy he went to Fender where they tried to make a guitar as similar to the Axis as they could. In the end, I believe Eddie felt the Axis was the ultimate guitar and still played em well after his relationship with them ended. I love the tiny neck that's super narrow. What blows me away is that this is the neck Eddie loved. Amazing to me that he wanted that small of a neck, but thankfully he did because they are the best necks I have ever held.

Of course we all know the black, red and white striped guitars especially the One but when I think of Eddie, I think of the Axis, Peavy, WG-EVH body style. That's Eddie to me.

I took delivery of a cool book back in June called Eruption in the Canyon. I highly recommend it. The author spent almost a year with Eddie at 5150. Many days it was just the two of them. Interesting to hear about those days.

Rest in Peace Eddie, thank you for all the incredible music.

[blue]

Originally Posted by AX17609

Totally agree. I always thought his rhythm playing was largely overlooked and under-appreciated.

Oh yeah! There can be so much space in his rhythm work! Think of your Favorite intros of Van Halen songs. How much of those "riffs" is chord work? With my Faves, it's almost all of it.

As a player who never "shredded" before, trying to figure out the first album, it was so cool that so many of the songs were "playable", except for some of the fills and solos. Those took some time. The first three I learned were runnin' with the devil, ain't talking about love, and Jamie's crying, I almost want to say "obviously".

Of course the curse of those songs being so accessible was that you realized just how much of it was "in his hands"...

[rmp]

Eddie raised the bar to places we didn't even know the bar could go.

RIP maestro.